One of the weak zones in the safety of the coastal city Oostende, Belgium, are the quays in the inner harbour which are rather low. A storm wall is an easy and effective measure to reduce wave overtopping and prevent the city from flooding. The location of this storm wall (close by the quay wall (2m) versus further away from the quay wall (15m)), and architectural alternatives for better integration in the setting have been studied at Ghent University. This paper summarizes the results.